To the people of Cranston:
Please don’t let money problems or feelings of defeat stop you from fighting for all the children who will be attending public school at Cranston West from viewing the prayer banner. If the lawyers and also the judge had read the Constitution properly, they would have realized that the Founding Fathers specifically intended that freedom of religion was utmost in their minds when it was written.
We were guaranteed freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. Everyone is entitled to practice religion of their choice without interference from government. However, it seems the ACLU and other minorities have interpreted it to mean you cannot even say God on public property. That was the farthest thing from the intentions of the Founding Fathers. They believed in a higher power and were not afraid to say so. Yes, Miss Ahlquist had every right to object to the banner, but that was all. She had no right to demand that it be taken down. Our courts went along with her but even they are wrong at times. Why is one person’s right to object more important than the objection of many? If she was pressured to say the prayer under threat of expulsion, then I would defend her, but you know that was not the case. She is under no pressure of any kind to even look at it, so I can see no reason why she should object to it. I’m sure she will have many things in her life that she won’t like, and I’m sure she will just have to grin and bear it.
Taking the banner down will only deprive thousands of kids from seeing it. It is just something to lift their minds and hearts and isn’t that what we want for them?
I hope and pray (yes, pray) that the committee will appeal the ban and work for the good of all the students in Cranston West.
This is just one way the government has of denying our freedoms; don’t let them get away with it. Otherwise, where will it end?
The ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice) is willing to represent you; they only need to hear from the committee’s lawyer. Please encourage this to happen.
Nan Johnson
West Warwick
I think you misunderstand the purpose of the First Amendment. Removing the prayer banner is not in any way restricting anybody's religious freedom. You are still free to worship whatever or whomever you choose - or not to, for that matter. Your statement "It seems the ACLU and other minorities have interpreted it to mean you cannot even say God on public property" is completely false. You have the same right to freedom of speech as anybody else and it cannot be taken away. However, the government, and by its extension public schools (yes, they are part of the gov't, Department of Education) must follow certain rules, and part of those rules are to remain secular. Allowing a prayer banner to hang in a prominent location on campus is a clear endorsement of Christianity. As you even said yourself, it is gov't interference. Although the majority of students at the high school are Christian, not all of them are. The First Amendment was created to protect the minority being persecuted at the hands of the majority. I'm sure many would be upset if instead of a Christian prayer, it was a piece of Muslim scripture adorning the wall.
What's even more frightening is your statement "Why is one person's right to object more important than the objection of many?" What if There was a school where the majority decided they want to implement stoning based on religious reasons? By your logic, this would be okay! Saying she was "under no pressure to look at it" is also an invalid argument. I can't get around visual obscenity laws if I posted a giant billboard of a naked dude by the freeway by saying "well you don't have to look at it." The law is very clear-cut: Public schools cannot organize prayer, in the classroom or on a wall.
You also contend that the Founding Fathers all believed in a higher power. This is also not true. Many of our founders were atheist, deist, and several other belief structures that were not Christian. They recognized that Americans have a very diverse spectrum of believers, and that to maintain order and fairness religion must be kept out of government entirely.
You seem to confuse "the government denying our freedoms" with not always getting your way. I suggest you take the time to fully understand the history and purpose of the First Amendment before you incite an illogical revolution based off of incorrect facts.